Robots programmed by engineers in Singapore built an IKEA Stefan chair, with the whole process complete in just over 20 minutes.

If you've been feeling nervous about the impending 'rise of the machines', then this won't be happy news: two robots have just mastered the task of building an IKEA chair, and without any meltdowns or pieces thrown about the room.

IKEA assembly can easily get the better of us humans, so the fact two machines did it without a glitch is a little unnerving.

Engineers at Nanyang Technological University used "off-the-shelf parts" of a 3D camera and two industrial robot arms fitted with grippers and force sensors to take on the challenge of building an $30 Stefan chair from the Swedish furniture giant.

The whole thing took the two robots 20 minutes and 19 seconds, which included having the parts placed in front of them (that's a handicap for sure), but more than half of that time was spent planning their strategy.

The actual assembly took 8 minutes and 55 seconds.

How long does this build usually take humans? IKEA believe between 10 to 15 minutes.

Image: Nanyang Technological University

Released in a report in Science Robotics, this is a milestone and big step forward in robotics, who typically have struggled to manage tasks like manipulating objects in a world built for our complicated human hands. What is inherently intuitive for us, is a mighty challenge for our man-made friends.

Lead researcher Quang-Cuong Pham believes this progress means robots can begin to move on from industrial assembly lines (where they perform precise, repetitive movements), to tackling more complicated tasks. That could look like building computers or aircraft.

It's important to note, however, the robots needed to be programmed to know what parts of the chair looked like, how they go together and in what order. The only part they managed autonomously from that point was how to then use that information to put it all together.

The robots also had a rocky start; in early trials, they dropped wooden pins or let go of parts too soon, as well as executing moved that undid their work as opposed to build it. Industrial robots are also pretty strong, so unfortunately, a few Stefan kits were harmed in the making of this project.